Dear Jessica—How Do I Write A Poem?
Dear Jessica May 15th, 2025 How Do I Write A Poem? Dear Jessica,Please! Tell me how to write a poem!Sincerely,Eager and Unsure Dear Eager and Unsure, The brevity of your question tells me you are already well on your way to writing a poem, because the first rule of writing poetry is this: get to the heart of the matter. So, here’s your heart and here’s why it matters: you want to know how to write one of these pesky poems you’ve been hearing about, and you’re not sure where to start. The good...
Learning Poetry Craft Through Podcasts + Recommendations
Lemon Grove Essays April 3rd, 2025 Learning Poetry Craft Through Podcasts By Megan Nichols Sometime in my mid-twenties, I listened to a podcast interview with poet Kim Addonizio. Before then, I had little awareness of contemporary poetry. The idea of living poets felt distant. They were an elite class of people far removed from my reality. At the time, I had a new baby and was living in rural Arkansas. (And I wasn’t on Twitter yet. Somewhat sadly, that would become my second major...
30 Days of Poetry Prompts: A Daily Practice for National Poetry Month
Lemon Grove Writers March 24th, 2025 30 Days of Poetry Prompts: A Daily Practice for National Poetry Month I’ve always believed in the power of a good writing prompt. At their best, they are small invitations to bypass doubt and quiet the inner critic. That’s why during our free co-writing sessions, we always offer a handful of optional prompts. Even when I plan to spend most of the time working on an existing project, ten minutes with a prompt can jumpstart my focus and help me get into the...
Henry Zebrowski (aka SNL’s “Naked Guy”) and the Sublimity of Rejection: How We Should All Aim to “Fail Faster”
Lemon Grove Essays March 15th, 2025 Henry Zebrowski (aka SNL’s “Naked Guy”) and the Sublimity of Rejection: How We Should All Aim to “Fail Faster” By Caitlin Morris Listening to Last Podcast on the Left and its weekly true crime news round-up series, Side Stories, has been my audio comfort blanket for roughly seven years. The combination of horror, true crime, blue and bathroom humor, all created by three intelligent, empathetic, and unapologetically silly people, is the balm I need every...
Introducing: Dear Jessica—Your Writing Dilemmas, Answered
Dear Jessica Feb 10th, 2025 How to Push Through When the Excitement of a Writing Project Fades We’re so excited to introduce our new advice column, Dear Jessica, written by our very own Jessica Lohafer! Our first question is about something many of us face: how to finish an old work in progress without cringing at our past selves. Dear Jessica,How do I force myself to finish an old work in progress? After the initial buzz of a new project wears off, I feel queasy at the idea of returning to...